d
by the Editor, before one word of the work was written or compiled, after
an attentive examination of every accessible former collection; That plan
has been since anxiously reconsidered, corrected, altered, and extended, in
the progress of the work, as additional materials occurred: yet the Editor
considers that the final and public adoption of his plan, in a positively
fixed and pledged systematic form, any farther than has been already
conveyed in the Prospectus, would have the effect to preclude the availment
of those new views of the subject which are continually afforded by
additional materials, in every progressive step of preparation for the
press. The number of books of voyages and travels, as well general as
particular, is extremely great; and, even if the whole were at once before
the Editor, it would too much distract his attention from the division or
department in which he is engaged for the time, to attempt studying and
abstracting every subdivision at once. The grand divisions, however, which
have been already indicated in the Prospectus, and the general principles
of the plan, which are there explained, are intended to be adhered to; as
no reasons have been discovered, after the most attentive consideration,
for any deviation from that carefully adopted arrangement, the heads of
which are here repeated.

GENERAL PLAN OF THE WORK.

PART I.

_Voyages and Travels of Discovery in the middle ages; from the era of
Alfred, King of England, in the ninth century to that of Don Henry of
Portugal at the commencement of the fourteenth century_.

PART II.

_General Voyages and Travels chiefly of Discovery; from the era of Don
Henry, in_ 1412, _to that of George III. in_ 1760.

PART III.

_Particular Voyages and Travels arranged in systematic order,
Geographical and Chronological.

Note.--This part will be divided into five books, comprehending, I.
Europe.--II. Asia.--III. Africa.--IV. America.--V. Australia and
Polynesia; or the prodigious multitude of islands in the, great: Pacific
Ocean. And all these will be further subdivided into particular chapters or
sections correspondent to the geographical arrangements of these several
portions of the globe_.

PART IV.

_General Voyages and Travels of Discovery during the era of George III.
which were conducted upon scientific principles, and by which the Geography
of the globe has been nearly perfected_. .

PART V.

_Hist